State enterprise "South Machine Building Plant. Makarova "(UMZ, Dnepr) resumes the production of Zenit launch vehicle for the international projects Sea Launch and Land Launch, the company's press service reported..
As noted in the message, on April 28, Yuzhmash and S7 Sea Launch Limited signed a contract for the production and supply of 12 Zenit rockets for the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes within the framework of the international programs Sea Launch and Ground Launch ".
"The signing of this contract made a big step in overcoming the deep crisis in which Yuzhmash stayed since 2013 and which resulted from a massive decline in production volumes," the press service said..
She points out that currently there are two Zenit launch vehicles in the production of YMZ Zenit-3SL and Zenit-3SLB modifications,.
In YMZ, it was clarified that the order portfolio of Yuzhmash for the coming years exceeds $ 350 million, among the main customers are the companies of the USA, Italy, India, Korea.
As reported, production of the Zenith rocket at the capacities of Yuzhmash was suspended in 2014 due to financial problems encountered by operators of the Sea Launch and Land Launch projects.
The Zenit-3SL LV was developed on the basis of the two-stage Zenit-2 launch vehicle of the Yuzhnoye SD Design Bureau and the Yuzhmash company, the DM-SL upper stage was designed and manufactured at the Energia space center.
The Sea Launch consortium for commercial launches of satellites from the sea-based cosmodrome in the Pacific Ocean was established in 1995. At the first stage, its shareholders were American Boeing (40%), Russian RKK Energia (25%), Ukrainian GKB Yuzhnoye and State Enterprise Yuzhmash (together 15%), as well as Anglo-Norwegian Kvaerner Group (20%). After the reorganization in 2010, 95% of the company owned Energia Overseas Limited (EOL) - the granddaughter of RSC Energia (RF), 3% - American Boeing, 2% - Norwegian Aker Solutions. From 1995 to May 2014, Sea Launch program carried out 36 launches of the Zenit-3SL LV, including 33 successful.
In August 2014, Sea Launch announced the suspension of launches under the program to reduce costs in order to avoid the expected shortage of the launch program and the resumption of launches in the middle of 2015-2016.
In September 2016, Sea Launch SA and the Russian S7 Group announced an agreement to purchase the assets of Sea Launch. The transaction was planned to be closed in 2017, after receiving the approval of the Directorate for the Control of Defense Trade (DDTC) and the Committee on Foreign Investments (CFIUS). The resumption of the start-up activities under the program is scheduled for approximately the end of 2018.